War and Balance
by Seaki
Summary: The war has been picking up recently. In order to keep everything going at a steady pace, Germany orders the Italian Brothers to camp out as his house. There are plenty of ups and downs to be had. JapanRomano; GermanyVeneziano


**War and Balance  
><strong>**Prologue: Le due Italie**

They were both tired – there was no denying that. The stress and the harsh criticism of the war on their bodies forced them to drag and drag until they collapsed of fatigue. Still, they kept going, because that was what they had to do.

"Wake up, Veneziano," a tired voice called, though the mentioned did not even stir. Romano gave a sigh – he was tired too, but he knew he had to get up. "Get _UP_, damnit," he snarled, tugging the sheet off of his little brother's small form.

The younger groaned, pulling himself up. This happened every morning. Romano would be shaken awake by the alarm, and Veneziano would continue sleeping while Romano make breakfast for the two. It was exhausting for the older of the two simply for the fact that he was already exhausted.

Being so recently unified, it was hard for them to stay in sync. While they still had an unofficial blur between them, he could still feel what was happening up north – he was sure his little brother could feel things that were predominately his as well.

It was an odd feeling.

"I'm sorry, Romano – I've just been so tired lately," he murmured, rubbing his golden-brown eyes with the back of his hand. North Italy gave a shiver from the severe lack of sleep he was facing. Romano just gave a sigh at the answer, reaching his hands forward to help the tired Italian from bed.

Once the northern half of Italy was tugged out of bed, the two headed down for breakfast. They had to make it quick, due to an early meeting (seriously, who scheduled a meeting before noon when the Italies were involved?). Romano slid a plate towards his brother along with fresh coffee. He had already eaten, but had waited on getting dressed.

"Why in the nine circles of hell do we have to have a damned meeting this early anyway?" Romano grumbled around his mug. The rings under his eyes were no doubt darker than the previous nights, but not at dark as Veneziano's. The younger just gave a small one shouldered shrug as he finished his coffee.

"That reminds me, Fratello…" North Italy tilted his head as he stirred more milk into his coffee. Romano hummed a non-committal response to show that he was listening as he started on the dishes. They had to leave in an hour at the very most, apparently, so they would be in time for the meeting at Germany's house.

"Please don't be mad," the younger begged. "But Germany said we should probably stay over his house from now on, so we should pack and, and," the smaller male panicked, body and voice shaking. There was a small note of nervous laughter, especially when his older brother hadn't responded right away.

Romano only gave a sigh – this was definitely not something he wanted to deal with that early. He set the empty coffee mug in the sink, and rubbed his temples. "I'll go pack the damned bags," he grunted and left Veneziano to finish his food.

If Romano knew it wouldn't make his brother upset, he would have put up more of a fuss. His little brother was at the forefront of the treaty – not him. He couldn't really deny his little brother anything despite what he said. Still, the frustration of having to pack at the last moment would bitter his mood in any situation, but more so with the stress weighing down on his body.

Romano paced their shared room for a moment, grumbling angrily. He hated complaining in front of Veniciano, but he could not help it sometimes. The best he could do was leave and complain to himself. It wasn't his war – it wasn't even Veniciano's war – it was that damned Germany's.

Why did they even have to start a war? What was the purpose of it anyways?

The elder Italian gave a small sigh and began working. He folded the clothing carefully, going over a list in his head – what they needed and what he planned to bring. Of course he would have to bring his own food – he didn't trust that bastard with his or his brother's nutrition.

He finished quickly, snapping the suitcase shut with an annoyed sigh. He would pack the food after he finished the dishes.

At least he worked well (or better than his brother) under stress. If you could call it well. He was falling apart at the seams, and he already knew no one would notice. "Fratello," the small voice of his brother whispered over his musing. He gave a small grunt and left the room, brushing past the younger of the two.

He stopped a few steps later. "Go shower. I'll finish packing. And don't fall asleep in the shower again, damnit!" He commented, heading back towards the kitchen to pack pastas and sauce ingredients. "Okay, Fratello," he heard before the Northern Italian disappeared into their room to shower.

A few hours later and the brothers were on the road to Germany. Of course, he definitely did not want to go to Germany with all of the crazy things happening there. It made him sick to his stomach, really. They would have to be careful, especially in Germany.

Why couldn't they just go to Japan?

Germany met them at the border. He ignored his brother's bubbly crones of "Germany~ Germany~" as if the man was the best thing to happen to the world. Still, the rendezvous point was a precaution for them. No need to get caught by an ally who thought you were an enemy.

Romano did not have to like it though, honestly. He was only here for his brother.

"We will drive from here and go directly to the house. Japan is waiting there for us," he heard Germany command. Seriously, was all that bastard do – command people? He gave a sneer and slipped into the back seat of the vehicle. He didn't want to be by the commanding asshole, and his little brother liked him well enough.

Maybe now he could sleep…? So that's what he did. Sleep…

* * *

><p><strong>Words: 1022<br>****Note:** I've had this floating around in my head for a while and I just now decided to write it. This is actually a pretty late update on the schedule I've been trying to follow. Expect a chapter to something next Tuesday! Follow me on Twitter (SeakiTokala) to get notified of updates quicker.

I may update to deviantart before here, so go to my profile for links to everything! I'll try to update faster guys! Sorry! orz


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